>  > Iran is a country, no matter who's running it and under international
>  EC> banking
>  > regulations the money was rightfully theirs or are you suggesting we
>  EC> just pull
>  > out of the international financial institutions as well and steal the
>  EC> monies?
> 
>  EC> Nothing was stolen. And your reading of "international banking
>  EC> regulations" as requiring us to turn over all the assets of a
>  EC> government to revolutionaries who we had not given diplomatic
>  EC> recognition to as a legitimate replacement government . . . well,
it is
 
> If the US would have kept it as you suggested then yes, the US would have
> stolen the $.

If the US had spent the money, that would be "taking." It would not have
been "stealing," any more than the various US laws on civil forfeiture of
drug assets would be "stealing." But the money was not taken.

>  But it is interesting that you consider Carter's 1979
>  EC> action so deeply illegitimate.

> Why would I find his action so deeply illegitimate? Sanctions are a
tool and
> were used just as they're used today.

He froze Iranian assets. You consider that "stealing." Sometimes.
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